Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42536735›Full record

ArticleScience advances2026

Stiff matrix impairs cytotoxic T lymphocyte function at multiple levels.

Mir Hadi Seyedzadeh, MA Kristine Tolentino, Newton Gil Peres, Eric Y Du, Florence Bartlett-Tomasetig, Gaia M N Javier, Kristopher A Kilian, Katharina Gaus, Jesse Goyette, J Justin Gooding

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In one paragraph

Article in Science advances, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Mir Hadi SeyedzadehDepartment of Molecular Medicine, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-4984-5410
MA Kristine TolentinoSchool of Chemistry and Australian Centre for NanoMedicine, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-5046-698X
Newton Gil PeresDepartment of Molecular Medicine, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-6681-1469
Eric Y DuSchool of Chemistry and Australian Centre for NanoMedicine, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Florence Bartlett-TomasetigKatharina Gaus Light Microscopy Facility, Mark Wainwright Analytical Centre, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-6827-9453
Gaia M N JavierSchool of Photovoltaic and Renewable Energy Engineering, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-0629-9923
Kristopher A KilianSchool of Chemistry and Australian Centre for NanoMedicine, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-8963-9796
Katharina GausDepartment of Molecular Medicine, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Jesse GoyetteDepartment of Molecular Medicine, School of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-1008-1890
J Justin GoodingSchool of Chemistry and Australian Centre for NanoMedicine, University of New South Wales Sydney, Sydney, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-5398-0597

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) play a pivotal role in antitumor immunity via inducing apoptosis in cancer cells. However, their effector functions can be compromised by the perturbations in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Among the diverse factors within the TME, the effects of stiffness of the extracellular matrix (ECM) on CTL-mediated responses require greater understanding. To address this gap, we three-dimensionally bioprinted CTLs and targeted cells in polyethylene glycol-based ECM mimics with tunable stiffness and uniform porosity. Our findings reveal that CTLs in stiffer ECMs showed reduced migration speed and impaired antigen-specific cytotoxicity. Synapse formation analysis revealed that stiffer ECMs impair CTL efficacy not by reducing the frequency of CTL-target cell contacts but by shortening the contact time between these cells, a consequence of disrupted immunological synapse formation. Live Ca

Indexed as

Extracellular MatrixT-Lymphocytes, CytotoxicAnimalsCell MovementCytotoxicity, ImmunologicHumansImmunological SynapsesTumor Microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID42536735
PMCPMC13426402

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.